


A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons

by Piyo13



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Asshole Sauron, Body Horror, Dark Magic and its effects on Elves, Dragon Sickness, Fucked Up, Gen, Middle Earth Dragons, Mild Gore, there's not actually that much gore per se but a lot of probably disturbing ideas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2015-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 10:04:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5159690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Piyo13/pseuds/Piyo13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons, recorded by Mairon"</i>
</p><p> </p><p>In which Mairon conducts a scientific experiment, and Orcs aren't the only form of corrupted Elf to have ever graced Middle Earth.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for Terrifying Tolkien Week 2, for the prompt "dragonsickness". As usual, I am like a week and a half late. Please heed the tags--there's a few images included in the story, and the text itself isn't a nice one. Like it's so un-nice I can't actually believe I managed to write this. Anyways.
> 
> So many eternal thanks to [Ias](http://curmudgeony.tumblr.com/) for encouraging, beta-reading, and talking through this with me. <3 <3 <3
> 
>  
> 
> [(You can fullview the art by clicking through here.)](http://piyo13sdoodles.tumblr.com/post/132711527406/in-which-mairon-conducts-a-scientific-experiment)

_A Treatise on the Origin of Dragons, recorded by Mairon_

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION

Through my own work with metals of various kinds, I have found that certain metals have a proclivity for absorbing and storing magical energy and intent. While iron does possess this capacity to a certain extent (see _Notes regarding Orcish Iron_ , specifically the high rates of infection amongst even Orcs themselves when lacerated with Orcish Iron as opposed to silver- or carbon-steel), it has been noted that gold is the metal which is most readily able to absorb and retain energy, but also release it at a controlled rate.

The process of smithing and reforging the gold does not appear to fade the power already stored within it to any discernible degree. The energy does, however, diminish at logarithmic rate the longer the gold is left without a source from which to absorb (the source, for the vast majority of Angband's gold reserves, is Lord Melkor himself). On average, half of power stored at any given moment will be gone within one cycle of the seasons. There has, of yet, been no indication as to an upper level of storage.

Though this effect has been noted, due to the relative softness of gold no actual results comparable to those of Orcish Iron have been recorded. Lord Melkor thus proposed a thorough investigation of the effects of power-infused gold upon living beings. As there is potential use in terms of gilding armor and weapons to utilize energy storage should there be aversive results, I have undertaken to conduct the experiment myself.

 

METHODS AND EXPERIMENTAL DATA

_Materials:_

Due to Orcish insensitivity to all but the most aversive effects of Lord Melkor's power, and due to the overly reactive nature of Mannish thralls (see _Notes on Men Exposed to Magic,_ in particular the section describing physical reactions—boils, fused skin, and the like), Elvish thralls were selected to be the subjects of this experiment.  For this preliminary round of experiments, two thralls were chosen, both being recent acquisitions, so as to avoid cross-contamination from the general environment around Angband. They were selected on the basis of physical similarity as well as robust health.

The gold (5236 12-kg ingots) was taken directly from ornamentation on the Throne, replaced with a more durable silver-steel/gold alloy that would be less susceptible to deformation. The removed gold had been in use for over five cycles, and thus had cumulated a fair amount of Lord Melkor's energy. The gold was crafted into a large box, approximately twenty paces cubed, with three windows [affected box]. The topmost window was left permanently open to provide for air, for Elves cannot survive longer than 2.5 days in a room without air circulation. The lower two were fitted with invisibly-sealing doors, to enable observation when needed. The lowest of the aforementioned two windows was large enough to allow passage for the Elf, and it was through these means that the Elves were put inside. The gold was two paces thick, and reinforced with a carbon-steel frame to hold its shape.

A similar box was constructed of freshly mined gold, which had not had time to accumulate magical energy, to examine if gold without influence of magical energy would have the same effects on a being [unaffected box].

..

 

_Methods:_

One Elf was allowed entry into each box by way of the lowest window. The Elves had been fed and watered as per thrall regulation three hours previous to the start of the experiment. The windows were sealed behind them with, as noted above, the exception of the topmost window. The Elves were unshackled and unclothed.

Access to neither food nor water was given. Based on previously established baselines, this would indicate both Elves would be dead by, at the latest, Day 21 of the experiment. It has been known, however, that magical energy can, in some instances, augment physical nutrition. Thus, it would follow that the Elf in the affected box would survive longer than the Elf in the unaffected box, though the exact length of time remains to be determined.

At the conclusion of the experiment, the remaining Elf was sacrificed.

Observational data was collected every day at sundown, over the course of several weeks.

 

_Experimental Data*:_

_*[due to the high quantity of days in which the previous day's results were repeated, the repeated days have been left out, both for the ease of reading as well as for the conservation of vellum]_

Day 1—Both Elves appear to be meditating. They sit cross-legged against the wall for the most part, though they rouse and look around once the observational window is opened. Appear alert and conscious.

[…]

Day 7—The Elf in the unaffected gold box is exhibiting stark signs of hunger. It will occasionally rub at its stomach; seemingly without conscious intention, for once it recalled my presence, it ceased to do so. Additionally, it tried to stand once, but then quickly fell back down; due to the way it grabbed its leg afterwards and began to rub, I can only assume it had a cramped muscle. I estimate its overall mass has already decreased by at least ten percent, as well as the color of its skin having gained an unnatural yellow tint. Interestingly, the Elf in the affected box exhibits no such signs, continuing on as before.

Day 8—The Elf in the affected still exhibits no signs of hunger. The Elf in the unaffected box continues to exhibit such signs, although it no longer tries to rise. Its body mass also continues to decrease, and by now its skin is visibly dry. No excrement is seen in the unaffected box, solid or liquid.

[…]

Day 12—The Elf in the affected box has begun to speak, presumably to itself, for there are no others present. It speaks a forest Sindarin dialect. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be reciting a Lay to itself. I was unfamiliar with the content. The Elf in the unaffected box is largely immobile, roused only slightly by the sound of the observational window opening. From appearances, almost twenty percent of its body mass has been lost.

[…]

Day 14—The Elf in the affected box has begun to pace. Due to the malleability of pure gold, a dent has already been worn into the floor of the box where the Elf walks. It continues, as always, to speak to itself, though its words have been steadily lowering in volume. I suspect it has concluded the retelling of its Lay, and begun to invent things of its own accord, for the meter and rhyme have been lost. Mannish words are also interspersed within its speech. The Elf in the unaffected box no longer rouses, though it appears to still be breathing.

Day 15—The Elf in the affected box has clawed the walls. There are deep gouges left in the gold. They are not in any discernible pattern, echoing the former speech of the Elf. At this point, it is silent, continuing to pace along its chosen path, though periodically its breathing begins to come faster before slowing down again. The Elf in the unaffected box is as previously. Body mass continues to drop, now at about twenty-five percent loss, by estimation.

Day 16—No new clawing marks were added, though now it has ceased its pacing. It sits in the corner, knees drawn and curled inward. It has not stopped speaking. The Elf in the unaffected box is as previously.

Day 17—The Elf in the affected box is as previously. The Elf in the unaffected box was found dead. Upon inspection, cause of death was determined as a cardiovascular infarction brought on by atrophy of the myocardium, though renal failure and a buildup of bodily toxins also appear to have played a part. I suspect the atrophy was largely brought about by lack of nutrition.

[…]

Day 20—The Elf was sitting with its back against a side wall, which had been further gouged. There are also bloodstains on the wall, along with hair and smears of skin, and the Elf's hands are covered in blood as well, its fingernails especially holding clots of coagulated blood, as well as hair and what I can only assume is skin. The source is a gash on the Elf's scalp where the hair and skin has been torn off. There is also blood and hair in and around its mouth.  In sum, the Elf appears to have ripped out a large portion of its hair and tried to consume it. When the window was opened for observation, it began laughing. It did not stop once the window was closed.

..

Day 21—The Elf is silent. It has survived the longest any Elf has without nutrition. Muscular atrophy is negligible.

[…]

Day 24—Fresh blood has joined the old on the walls, the source this time being two completely torn-off fingernails. Interestingly, neither head wound nor finger wounds are infected. Gold is missing from the walls. It appeared to have been gouged out by the Elf, though it was not on the ground. It could also not have been thrown out the breathing window, and so a scan was performed using a third eye. The Elf has ingested the missing gold. As gold is inert on the biological level, consuming small quantities does not provide any problem. However, as the Elf has not eaten anything save for its own hair in almost a month, and the quantity of gold consumed is, by estimation, upwards of a kilogram, I foresee complications in terms of passage through the digestive tract. Additionally, the magical energy stored in the gold will release directly into the Elf's viscera, which I foresee as being unpleasant.

Day 25—The Elf did not die due to the ingestion of metal, though it is crouched over with its eyes closed, as if in pain. It has begun to develop rashes on its skin.

[…]

Day 27—The Elf moves again, though it does not walk. Rather, it moves on hands and feet. More gold is missing from the walls. This seems to be taking a toll on the Elf's body, as several more fingernails and even toenails have been ripped off now.

..

[…]

Day 34—The rashes now cover the majority of the Elf's skin. Its remaining fingernails and toenails, having already grown as the natural effect of not having access to trimmers, have begun to blacken.

[…]

Day 42—The Elf has lost its hair completely. The skin underneath, and indeed throughout its body, bears the red color of inflammation, though no swelling is present and the skin is hard enough and warm enough to leave impressions on any gold it touches. Its nails are now completely black, and thick calluses have begun to form on the palms of its hands and the soles of its feet. Occasionally a mutter will be heard; it still seems able to speak Sindarin, even if it only says nonsense sentences.

[…]

Day 47—Its ears are no longer mobile, but rather hardened and stationary.

[…]

Day 53—Through repeated motion, the hardness of its skin has cracked, and now pieces slides over others, reminiscent of an adder's scales. It carries itself lower to the ground, legs permanently bent. When I opened the observational window, it turned and glared at me for a few moments, before hissing and saying, "You did this." This is the first time it has spoken to me directly. Immediately afterwards, it hissed again, then whimpered, and finally curled into a ball and fell silent, with its back towards me. Its backbone is highly pronounced, and several patches of scaly rash cover its back.

Day 54—It continues to move on four legs; indeed, a scan with a third eye reveals its internal bone structure has re-aligned to facilitate this movement. Additionally, the scan revealed that its tailbone has elongated significantly. Because gold not only surrounds the Elf but was also ingested by it, it is impossible to tell whether the effects are driven mostly by one or the other, though I would suspect ingestion would play the greater part. Such can be tested in the future. Also interesting to parse apart would be whether the reconstruction of the Elf's body results as a trade between the deconstructive nature of Lord Melkor's magic and the Elf's innate healing abilities, or if all or part of it is merely a property of magic-infused gold, regardless of the intent behind the magic itself.

..

[…]

Day 57—Its facial bones are also rearranging themselves. The tailbone elongation is now visible, covered with scaly rash like the rest of its body.

Day 58—It is unclear, with only one subject, whether this pattern of rapid changes reflects the form the Elf itself wishes to take, or whether it is prescribed by the magical forces stored within the gold. It is clear, however, that the energy required for such momentous changes originates from the affected gold. Whatever the case, the changes are rapid and drastic. Further changes, in addition to the ones listed in previous days' observations, include: elongation of the neck, shrinkage of the legs, elongation of the lumbar region, the retreat of the cartilaginous portions of its nose, and a vertically-oriented narrowing of its pupils. The spinous processes of its spinal cord have become more pronounced, and the rashes have solidified into very distinct scales. Overall size appears to have been doubled.

Day 59—Its tail is now long enough to touch the floor as it walks.

Day 60—It sleeps.

[…]

Day 63—As it sleeps, it twitches. This I have seen Men and Beasts do, but never an Elf.

[…]

Day 65—It has woken again, and used its claws to scrape gold off the walls, apparently to build a nest. It glares as the observational window is opened, and takes a protective stance over its golden nest.

Day 66—The changes appear to have been set, as no further alterations have been spotted. Attached is a diagram to better illustrate the drastic modifications that were made.

..

Day 67—It has curled itself on top of its pile of gold, and is sleeping again.

[…]

Day 72—The entire box has been stripped bare of gold, leaving only the carbon-steel frame in place. All the gold has been piled in the middle. During the observational period, the creature emerged from the pile, and began to walk around it in a way that could be classified as possessive. It snarled until the observational window was closed, whereupon, if the sound of metal hitting metal is to be believed, it buried itself into the pile once more.

Day 73—A third eye scan reveals that it is sleeping inside its golden nest.

[…]

Day 84—Speech is retained, even at this furthest stage. It is worth noting that despite the scalature of the entirety of the skin's surface, bilabial and labiodental sounds still appear to be produced with ease. In fact, the most noticeable of differences is the tendency to draw out voiceless alveolar fricatives. This information came about by way of a rather aggressive litany of swear words, directed at myself and in defense of its hoard. They are mostly Sindarin, but choice Mannish swears have been worked in as well. It would be interesting to see if it could acquire a new language, such as Blackspeech, in this condition. However, there is neither time nor proper resource for this, thus it will be put off for a future replication. This is the second time it has spoken directly to me, though this time it appears to be less conscious of itself as a being than it is of its newly claimed gold.

Day 85—It is sleeping. Its breath is warm enough to melt the gold directly in front of its snout.

[…]

Day 97—It tried to attack me today. It noticed a gold earring I was wearing, and proceeded to charge at the window. Though it is now too large to pass through, it succeeded in severely bending the carbon-steel framework. I repaired the frame before proceeding on my way. 

Day 98—Though I took precautions not to wear any gold, the creature slept.

[…]

Day 137—Due to the lack of observable changes in the past forty days, the experiment has been termed concluded. The Elf, though it can truly no longer be called that, has survived nearly half a cycle on the magical energy stored within the gold. It still speaks, and appears to have conscious reasoning abilities, though it bears more resemblance to lizards of the far south than any Eldar.

 

CONCLUSIONS AND FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Autopsy revealed that the muscles had re-arranged themselves to match the modified bone structure. Its entire body was suffused with magical energy distinct from an Elf's, though concentrations were higher in the outer dermal layers and surrounding the gastrointestinal tract. There was no evidence of gold left in the stomach or intestines, therefore it can only be assumed that the gold was fully dissolved and digested.

Lord Melkor has told me he wishes to pursue this line of investigation further, with more active levels of magical infusion to the gold. I predict that, as the amount of magical energy stored within the gold increases, so should the transformation, both in magnitude and in speed. It will remain up to future experiments to determine whether this form is consistent or varies from Elf to Elf. 


End file.
